1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an antenna system for a wireless communication device and more particularly to a combination internal/external antenna for a wireless communication device such as a cellular telephone.
2. Description of the Related Art
Internal antennas have been previously used in the interior of a wireless communication device housing or as an internal part of the housing itself. Internal antennas for portable wireless communication devices are becoming very popular in wireless design. Manufacturers are being encouraged to develop and install internal antennas in wireless devices inasmuch as internal antennas are becoming appealing to the user. First, the aesthetics of the handset is perhaps the biggest reason that internal antennas are gaining popularity. Much effort is put into the styling of cellular handsets and an antenna mounted on the outside of the housing detracts from the aesthetic appearance of the device. Second, robustness of the handset is improved by placing the antenna inside the protective housing instead of having the antenna exposed on the outside of the handset and extending therefrom. Third, due to the smaller overall size of the handset when an internal antenna is utilized, the handset is more convenient to stow away into pockets or purses when not in use. Fourth, in some instances, internal antennas may shield a portion of the radiated energy away from the user's head, which is important because more radiated energy is being transmitted as useful radio signals and less radiated energy is being absorbed by the user's body. One of the disadvantages of internal antennas is that in some cases they do not work well enough to receive or transmit a high quality radio signal as well as an external antenna.